I'm a bit of a nativist at heart. The Pacific Northwest - I'm convinced - is where I'll grow old, die and haunt 'til the end of time. It's a gorgeous, eclectic and downright weird place. And up until last year, I wouldn't have known that Oregon's upper neighbor also grew tea. Sakuma Bros. is a fourth generation berry-growing op out of Skagit Valley, WA. They are most well-known for their strawberries. I personally haven't had 'em, but I've heard friends sing praises before. The family-run outfit also has another merit badge to add. They are only the second official outfit to grow tea on the U.S. mainland (aside from a small farming collective in Hawaii).

Their white tea became available for order sometime in November or December. The product had been on my list of "DO WANT!"-s for the better part of four months. When it finally came in a big red box, I did a squeal-n-dance before opening. Initially, I was turned off by the appearance of the dry leaves. They looked like...well...leaves - plucked and dried. I guess after two hundred teas or so, I was spoiled to expecting hand-rolled needles. The initial aroma was also underwhelming, very wilderness-y.

Brewing instructions called for 2-3 grams of leaves per 6-8oz of 185F water. It took a good 4g to equal 1 tsp., and these were very fanned-out leaves. I went with a little under a tablespoon in 8oz of 170F water, given that I wasn't sure if these leaves would be White Peony-hearty or not. A little bit above a typical white tea temp seemed prudent.

The liquor didn't darken so much as it brightened to a vibrant - if transparent - gold color. The aroma from the mouthpiece reminded me of maple leaves, melons, autumn-dropped apples and sugar. The taste was an even more unusual experience. I suppose an esoteric comparison is in order; for those who've had an Oothu Estate Indian white tea, a Quangzhou Milk Oolong or a Bai Mu Dan...imagine it as a combination of all three. It was buttery, creamy, sweet, leafy, berry-like and earthy - all in one sip. But the biggest surprise of all was how long it lasted. I steeped it four times - four! - and it still maintained all these characteristics without fading. Even on the final ten-minute steep-o'-death, it didn't give in to spinachiness.

9 Responses to “Review: Sakuma Bros. Sun Dried Loose Leaf White Tea”

i didn’t know they were growing tea in beautiful skagit valley!!! COOL!! Geoff, I live in this wonderful PNW area too (again, thank goodness!). There is a company in Oregon called One Green World and you can buy tea plants from them. I can speak for their vitality as I have some friends in town who have several plants purchased from there that have been in for a while and the leaf makes for nice sipping! Very fragrant leaf! Maybe you should buy a plant and put it on your porch!!! The plants are bred down from most recently Russian stock, I believe. Great review, thanks…I want to visit them now, I had no idea!

I have always wanted a tea plant. Prices for some are through the roof. The Russian stock – I gather – are from the Dagomys region, right? I also heard from a tearoom in Seattle that there’s another private tea grower out there. Gonna investigate.

Your review is quite excellent. Especially about doing a little dance for the red box. Liked a lot.

My husband and I resided in Auburn, WA for a little under two years. I did not give it ample credit since I missed the snow and New England; it did (wet) snow our first Thanksgiving there. I read a reviewer who referred to WA as eclectic; true for Puyallup, WA, antique haven and worlds fair.

I have added this tea on my wish list, thank you. Be well and happy teas to you.

[...] to be on hand at their booth. I had wanted to meet him for over a year after having tried their Sun Dried White Tea. The man was humble and good-natured and put up with my many questions with wonderful patience. I [...]

[...] to be on hand at their booth. I had wanted to meet him for over a year after having tried their Sun Dried White Tea. The man was humble and good-natured and put up with my many questions with wonderful patience. I [...]

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Might I persuade you to give this one another try?...

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